Why Have a Communion Rail?

[jlw]

What is the significance, pro or con, to having a communion rail??Would you rather have one?? Does it matter?? Does it make a difference in your attitude or posture when in the pews or when you are approaching the altar?? Why do think they were taken out?? Rightly?? Wrongly??

 

[Deacon_Ed]

The altar rail served two purposes: first, it set off the sanctuary from the nave of the church and, second, it was where people knelt to receive communion. The history of the altar rail is fascinating. Originally there was no separation between the eople (nave) and the sanctuary. However, as the basilica model of the church developed, a separation was brought into play to separate the clergy from the people.

This has been seen in the rood screen or English churches, the iconostasis of Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, curtains in some churches, raised platforms, altar rails and so on.

IMNSHO they should not have been removed because their removal helped to contribute to the general loss of the sense of the sacred.

Deacon Ed

 

[fix]

jlw:

What is the significance, pro or con, to having a communion rail??Would you rather have one?? Does it matter?? Does it make a difference in your attitude or posture when in the pews or when you are approaching the altar?? Why do think they were taken out?? Rightly?? Wrongly??

The Church I was raised in was reconstructed after a fire in the early 1960s. There is a communion rail put in and has never been removed despite being in a very liberal diocese. When I visit there with Catholics from other areas they are very confused as to what to do when receiving communion. Some have even been hostile to the idea.

It is natural to me and I am sorry it has become foriegn to so many.

 

[awalt]

While I think it would be wonderful to kneel to receive the Eucharist, I think that separation is not the vision of Heaven or life with Christ/NT with OT:

"And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom***"*** (Mt 27:51).

 

[jlw]

awalt:

While I think it would be wonderful to kneel to receive the Eucharist, I think that separation is not the vision of Heaven or life with Christ/NT with OT:

"And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom***"*** (Mt 27:51).

Hmmm. You really think that passage is meant for this??? I see your point, but I think it’s misplaced. Heaven is NOT the earth, and earth is NOT Heaven. But I digress…I don’t want to break up the momentum of the thread.

 

[philipmarus]

jlw:

Hmmm. You really think that passage is meant for this??? I see your point, but I think it’s misplaced. Heaven is NOT the earth, and earth is NOT Heaven. But I digress…I don’t want to break up the momentum of the thread.

I suggest a reading of Scott Hahn’s THE LAMB SUPPER on this.
Otherwise we might as well as have the laity take turns on who gets consecrate each week.

 

[INRI]

Two big reasons, as far as I’m concerned:

1. Separate the sanctuary psychologically from the rest of the church. The sanctuary is where the holy of holies (i.e. the tabernacle) should be located and where the greatest miracle of our religion, the eucharist is confected. This area needs to be set apart as HOLY.
2. Encourage a reverent reception of the Eucharist. I see far too many lope up to the front of church like they are waiting in line to get tickets for a movie, shove out one hand, quickly slip the host in their mouth like a potato chip, and then lope back to their seat with nary a care in the world.

 

[Prometheum_x]

awalt:

While I think it would be wonderful to kneel to receive the Eucharist, I think that separation is not the vision of Heaven or life with Christ/NT with OT:

"And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom***"*** (Mt 27:51).

The separation is not a literal one – it is symbolic:

The church building serves as the scene for the portrayal of our Christian life:

We enter, and there at the entrance is a holy water font, in which we dip our fingers and recall our baptism. For it is in our baptism that we make our beginning in Christ. Then we move forward into the space where the people of God are gathered to worship him. From there we move forward again to receive the Eucharist. The sanctuary symbolizes heaven, and the altar that altar where Christ is ever high priest. Though indeed the curtain of the old temple was torn in two, this has not yet been fully realized. We still remain here on earth and are still, in a way, separated from heaven. We still wait for the resurrection of the dead, for the new heavens and the new earth.

But, though this separation remains – and we long for the day in which it will no longer be so – when we receive the Eucharist, there is great symbolism and great reality. The earthly priest brings what is upon the altar and gives it to us. Yet it is Jesus the High Priest himself coming from heaven to earth – first in the Incarnation, and now he comes and gives us his Body and his Blood.

Heaven is wedded to Earth. We long for the day when this shall be fully realized, for then we shall be with him. The old order of things will have passed away, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

 

[jlw]

Prometheum_x:

The separation is not a literal one – it is symbolic:

The church building serves as the scene for the portrayal of our Christian life:

We enter, and there at the entrance is a holy water font, in which we dip our fingers and recall our baptism. For it is in our baptism that we make our beginning in Christ. Then we move forward into the space where the people of God are gathered to worship him. From there we move forward again to receive the Eucharist. The sanctuary symbolizes heaven, and the altar that altar where Christ is ever high priest. Though indeed the curtain of the old temple was torn in two, this has not yet been fully realized. We still remain here on earth and are still, in a way, separated from heaven. We still wait for the resurrection of the dead, for the new heavens and the new earth.

But, though this separation remains – and we long for the day in which it will no longer be so – when we receive the Eucharist, there is great symbolism and great reality. The earthly priest brings what is upon the altar and gives it to us. Yet it is Jesus the High Priest himself coming from heaven to earth – first in the Incarnation, and now he comes and gives us his Body and his Blood.

Heaven is wedded to Earth. We long for the day when this shall be fully realized, for then we shall be with him. The old order of things will have passed away, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

:clapping:

 

[drforjc]

Ironically enough, kneeling alongside other communicants to receive actually enhances , for me, the sense of community. In other words, the “queue” system we generally see now is counterproductive, IMO, to the stated or tacit aim of many who ripped out communion rails in “renovations.”

 

[jlw]

Do you think that reinstalling communion rails aren’t happening because of financial costs, or basically seen as not big a deal??

 

[Detroit_Sue]

drforjc:

Ironically enough, kneeling alongside other communicants to receive actually enhances , for me, the sense of community. In other words, the “queue” system we generally see now is counterproductive, IMO, to the stated or tacit aim of many who ripped out communion rails in “renovations.”

I agree. In my parish, the rail is well-utilized.

 

[Exporter]

We have twwo churches in my Parish, the older one was built in about 1950 and seated almost 600. Three years ago a New church just 100 feet away from the old one seats about 1100.

I prefer tto go to Mass in the old one (now called a Chapel) WHY?
IT HAS ALTAR RAILS. I HAVE to go to Sunday Mass at 8 AM to attend Mass in the old Church. The daily Mass is in the Old Church.

It was the Liberals who wanted to remove the altar rails. The effects have been fewer men entering the seminaries and less reverance at Mass.

 

[netmilsmom]

Detroit Sue:

I agree. In my parish, the rail is well-utilized.

I am really praying that with our new construction, we replace our altar rail.
It kneelers now!

(Hi Sue!)

 

[Pug]

INRI:

Encourage a reverent reception of the Eucharist. I see far too many lope up to the front of church like they are waiting in line to get tickets for a movie, shove out one hand, quickly slip the host in their mouth like a potato chip, and then lope back to their seat with nary a care in the world.

I can’t pray or commune while going back to my seat. I could easily seem eager to get back there, but the reason is that once I get there I can kneel and pray/commune. I am eager to do that. In other words, you may not be witnessing an irreverent attitude, rather, you could be seeing the opposite.

 

[kmktexas]

drforjc:

Ironically enough, kneeling alongside other communicants to receive actually enhances , for me, the sense of community. In other words, the “queue” system we generally see now is counterproductive, IMO, to the stated or tacit aim of many who ripped out communion rails in “renovations.”

This is a great point. It also gives each communicant a couple of moments of quiet contemplation both before and after reception - together with the other members of the community.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

All of the Episcopal parishes of which I was a member had altar rails. I miss them in the Catholic parishes I now attend since conversion. I think that they (or in the Eastern Rite Churches, the iconostasis) set the sanctuary off from the rest of the church and demonstrate visually the Separate and Holy Nature of God.

 

[jlw]

kmktexas:

This is a great point. It also gives each communicant a couple of moments of quiet contemplation both before and after reception - together with the other members of the community.

Absolutely! And thus, my opinion on kneeling (yes, a rail is necessary) instead of standing, as was discussed on another thread.

 

[JNB]

jlw:

Do you think that reinstalling communion rails aren’t happening because of financial costs, or basically seen as not big a deal??

An altar rail is an extension of the altar itself, and has to be made of the same material as the altar itself, and crafted in the same manner as the altar itself, and this at times does make the cost to be fairly expensive, especially if the parish got rid of its altar rails and didnt store them.

 

[jlw]

JNB:

An altar rail is an extension of the altar itself, and has to be made of the same material as the altar itself, and crafted in the same manner as the altar itself, and this at times does make the cost to be fairly expensive, especially if the parish got rid of its altar rails and didnt store them.

I can understand that if the altar floors are hardwood, as ours is, but quite a few altars I have seen are carpeted. Wouldn’t that make a reinstallation “less” expensive??